Beginning of the End
by pink-writer
Summary: What do you do when you've been living a life that's already been written down and foretold countless of times? Would you give in or defy what you are destined to do? History... doesn't necessarily have to repeat itself. Semi-AU, Tamers/Frontier.
1. Chapter 1

Anyway, I do plan to touch Omoidasu (maybe) but I don't think I would do so anytime soon. I read over it a while back and almost gagged on how... bad I wrote it. Oh well; I was a kid so sue me~ Hopefully I improved over the years though.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

Note: names are strictly in Japanese, set after the Japanese timeline. Oh, and the explanation about the Shinto religion is taken from Wikipedia (.org/wiki/Shinto) and I take no credit from it.

/

* * *

"— Indeed, Shinto did not have a name until it became necessary to distinguish it from Buddhism. One explanation saw the _kami_ as supernatural beings still caught in the cycle of birth and rebirth, like all other beings in the karmic cycle. However, the _kami_ played a special role in protecting Buddhism and allowing its teachings of compassion to flourish. This explanation was later challenged by Kūkai, who saw the _kami_ as different embodiments of the Buddhas themselves. "

The autumn breeze swept by once again. Her gaze fell down, taking in the sight of two teenagers sweeping the grounds with a very annoyed-looking teacher keeping an eye. A few meters beside them, a cat crawled; stretching, yawning, and being as cautious as much as it can all at the same time. The feline looked around; up and down, left and right, until it finally turned around. With a final stretch, he (or maybe it was a she- Ruki couldn't tell) walked off, leaving nothing to identify of their presence.

"Shinto can be seen as a form of animism and may be regarded as a variant of shamanist religion. The afterlife is not a primary concern in Shinto; much more emphasis is placed on fitting into this world, instead of preparing for the next."

She looked up once again, above the heads of the three people on the courtyard, above the wall that surrounded the school, to the blue and yellow-tinted sky above. With the afternoon approaching, the temperature begins its decline, letting those who care know that winter is near. After that, spring, and not soon after, the heat will return, indicating that summer is fast on its way. The whole cycle repeats, year after year, with barely any noticeable changes around.

"Makino, the next passage please." Looking back at the book that lay idly in front of her, the said girl frowned before replying a barely audible "_hai_".

"Shinto has no binding set of dogma, no holiest place for worshippers, no person or _kami_ deemed holiest, and no defined set of prayers. Instead, Shinto is a collection of rituals and methods meant to mediate the relations of living humans and _kami_. And, the most immediately striking theme in the Shinto religion is a great love and reverence for Nature in all its forms and for natural artefacts and processes."

* * *

Hugging the gray sweater closer, Ruki continued her methodical walk home; taking no heed of the other people she passed by. She couldn't remember who but someone called her, saying something about the Katous leaving for a vacation and there's some sort of farewell party at their restaurant today. She would go, of course, because it was Juri.

She considers the tamers her friends- that's a fact- but with them being too close to her and her opening up so much to them scares the girl in a way. Years ago, she had promised herself that she wouldn't depend so much to anyone. Now, at one point, Ruki concluded that she can't live if her friends aren't there- and that scared her. To Ruki, vulnerability is a sin, and she succumbs to that sin more and more as time passes by.

What happened to her cold and independent demeanour that she had tried so hard to conserve all these years?

'_It doesn't feel the same… nothing does_,' she mused, all the while keeping a watchful eye at that two kids running towards her. Stirring out of the way, Ruki unconsciously trailed her gaze after them.

_"We have only two minutes until the allotted time. After that..."_

_"After that, we all go to our dooms right?" All eyes turned to the figure that stood away from the rest. There was a smirk plastered on his pale face, hiding the true fears that surrounded his heart. "What are... the chances of us succeeding anyway?"_

_"Slim," one answered without a moment's pause. "But we promised and," he paused, eyeing the other warily, "I doubt that you are the type to break a promise."_

_The rest was silent, before another stood up and faced the slowly descending sun. "We might not survive... but we have to. We will come out of this alive, together."_

The sound of a book hitting the pavement awoke Ruki from her daydream. Frowning, the teen kneeled down to retrieve the fallen object but failed, as her hand grabbed nothing but air.

_The ground started to grumble, but they still ran. Not a moment too soon, the whole place will collapse, bringing everything down with it._

_The pair exited a room and entered another, barely escaping the fall of the previous one. The once gallant dining hall was reduced to nothing but fallen chandeliers, ripped paintings, and dead humans. The reign of the royal family that controlled the land ended, without a person to spare._

_The first person, a woman, started to walk off, trying her best not to glance at anything but their road ahead. Her companion started after her, but soon tripped at something too hard for a pillow and too soft for a rock. Before she can even look at what caused her mishap, her friend spoke._

_"Don't look. Just close your eyes; I'll come over and help you," she nodded in response, feeling the other woman's presence come closer until the familiar scent of vanilla reached her nose._

_The fallen stuck her hand up and the other bent down to reach it. But before they made contact, the floor collapsed._

'_What the..._'

Blinking back into reality, Ruki focused her attention on her book and simply stared at it for a couple of seconds. With a grunt, she reached downward and grabbed her possession, before running home.

* * *

"Sayako, your tea" said person turned to the speaker and smiled, as the aroma of peach and white lilies reached her nose.

Long fingers reached out and took hold of the white cup, lifting and tilting the object, as if it was made of pure glass and would shatter at a touch. Sayako smiled in satisfaction at her drink, before placing it back on the brown tray and facing the horizon. Aside from the occasional flowers and a well stationed somewhere ahead of her, the garden has nothing but green grass and a stoned pathway that led to a small temple.

"Sayako," the boy whispered, making the lady shift her attention to him, "why didn't you greet the girl yourself? Wouldn't it be easier to go and fetch her, instead of sending Izumi to do so?"

Instead of replying, Sayako took another sip of tea and savoured the taste in her mouth.

"I've already told you Tomoki," she paused, smoothing out the wrinkles of her white robe.

"I can never leave this place."

* * *

"One, two... three! WE'LL MISS YOU!"

Juri smiled, trying to hold back her tears as the rest of the Tamers showed their affections and bid her a nice trip.

"Thank you so much! For everyone coming," she said, turning her attention to the oldest teen in the room, "as well as Akiyama-kun, for traveling all the way here."

"This not only became Juri's party, but a Tamers' reunion as well," Takato looked at the older boy as well, "Glad to see you again, Ryou."

Ryou sniffed, feeling faintly embarrassed as the attention was turned to him. "Heh, it's nothing, don't worry about it."

"Wow, Ryou embarrassed; I never thought I would see the day…"

"Oy!" Pretending to be offended, Ryou turned to the younger Lee, who innocently whistled. With a raised eyebrow, he smirked. "Isn't that supposed to be Ruki's line or something?"

Hirokazu busts out laughing, before remembering that the girl was only sitting in front of him. "Hey," he turned to Kenta and whispered, "isn't it about this time that Ruki makes a comment or starts a fight with Ryou?"

Kenta shrugged, showing how he's as clueless as his friend.

As the silence stretched on, waiting for the said girl to talk, Jenrya turned to his right and saw the girl wasn't even paying attention. She was playing with her food, picking on a piece of fried meat, without having any intention of eating.

Takato coughed at the awkward silence, Juri tilted her head in worry, and Jenrya finally had the courage to shake the girl out of her thoughts.

"Ruki?" he nudged before seeing her snap back to reality and turning to face the group abruptly.

She blinked. "Did someone call me?" Everyone shook their head and went back on talking; knowing that getting on Makino Ruki's case isn't the right thing to do.

* * *

"Bring back something good okay? And," Hirokazu inched closer to the girl and whispered, "if you can, introduce me to some girls there, will 'ya?"

Juri giggled, "I'll try Hiro-kun! But I make no promises."

"Well, yeah. But still-" his sentence was cut short by Kenta and Ryou pushing him aside. "Just be a good girl-" the green-haired boy started, "and don't get into too much trouble."

"We're just here for 'ya so if you ever need someone to talk to," Ryou pointed to himself and Jenrya, who stood beside him, "Just give us a call. I'm sure Jenrya here isn't always too busy tutoring some girl." The older smirked, ignoring the "HEY!" that came out from the other.

Shrugging away from the older boy, Jenrya turned to Juri. "You know that's not the truth. Anyway, just take care."

"You take care too, Lee-kun," she replied. Juri then turned to Shuichon, who was asleep and being carried by her brother, and smiled. "You take care too, Shuichon."

"Uhh... Katou-san..." Looking back at the boy that was beside her, Juri blinked and waited for him to continue. As the others stood expectantly on the sideline, Takato scratched his head to come up with a decent farewell speech.

"Take good care of yourself. I'll..." he paused, taking the time to glance at his friends. Seeing that they were practically dancing on the street to give him encouragement, Takato smiled, "I'll miss you."

Letting a big smile grow on her face, Juri held back the urge and cry in front of her friends. "I'll... miss you too, Takato-kun," she whispered.

'_I'll miss you too... I really will._'

With a final wave, and a few hugs, the eight people have been reduced to four, including Juri.

After giving Takato, who kept looking back and smile at her, one last wave, she turned to the remaining guests. Walking towards who she considers her best friend, Juri paused before opening her mouth to speak.

"You know you can tell me anything, right?" she asked, and Ruki nodded, "so... if you have something in your mind, you can tell me. I'm always here—"

"Ju—"

"—because I'm your friend and I don't like seeing you hold a burden by yourself."

In reply, Ruki merely nodded, seeing the determined look of her best friend. Ruki knew that if she started a debate, Juri would somehow win, especially if she really wants to.

"Just take care of yourself ok? I'll see you soon," the auburn-haired girl whispered, while hugging her close friend as if life depended on it.

"You too, Ruki; just take it easy," Juri replied.

And as the only Makino daughter walked off with the Lee siblings, a sudden wave of sadness— or was it regret?— made the brunette frown.

'_Yeah... soon._'

* * *

/

I'm still deciding whether I should include fight scenes in this story. It's a big part of the original storyline I've been cooking up but…

I can't write fight scenes for the life of me D:

Meh, I'll see where it leads up.

And in case you didn't know, Frontier characters are going to play a big role in this but… yeah, that's it. Just the characters. Because, you know, I just _love_ ripping off other people's characters without any regard to their own story so I could use them for my own personal amusement :)


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

/

* * *

"Are you sure we can do this?"

"Why can't we? We've all been working so hard just for this day…" he mumbled.

"Yeah, I know… especially you, Takuya, and Kouichi right?" she paused, taking a quick glance at the boy in front of her, "But is it really ok? I mean, the plan's just to basically throw everything at her, hoping against all odds that she'll believe us."

Kouji smirked, leaning back against his wooden seat in thought. "The way you put it, it's like there's an even greater chance that she'll call us lunatics and run away, huh?"

Izumi replied with a bright smile, finally succeeding in voicing out her opinion on the matter.

With a sigh, the blue haired teen picked up his chopsticks to continue his meal. He wouldn't admit it but his thought on their plan has been the same as Izumi's. In a way, Sayako just basically kicked them out to fetch the girl on such a random day that none were given the chance to actually think _how_ they're going to do it.

'_Shame that kidnapping is against the law these days…_'

Noticing the lack of action from his companion, Kouji looked up to make sure she was alright. Izumi's normally bright face was turned into a frown, her eyebrows furrowed, as she continued to stare at the steaming bowl of ramen in front of her. He could tell; all the negativity and doubts she was throwing at him was just to cover up both their nervousness.

Because admitting they were nervous will only increase their chances of failure.

'_And,_' Kouji thought, remembering the long nights where he lay exhausted and unable to move after a long day of work, '_failure is the last thing on my mind right now._'

Deciding to finally wake up the girl from her thoughts, Kouji pressed his forefinger and middle finger together and aimed for her forehead.

He smirked at the sudden backward jerk of the head and the annoyed glare thrown in his direction not soon after: the result he was just aiming for.

"Food should be eaten, not stared at to find an answer." When Izumi opened her mouth to retort, he shot her a determined glare. "We may be powerless and defenceless, and just _humans_ right now but we're not alone."

A whine coming from outside made both teens look towards the window. The sky had darkened and the beginnings of rain are coming to view.

"Besides," turning back to face Kouji, Izumi remained silent, waiting for him to continue, "if all else fails, Kouichi's still there to back us up."

At the mention of the other boy's name, Izumi curiously looked around. The small restaurant was now starting to fill up with customers, most of who were tired from a long day of work.

"Speaking of Kouichi… where is he?"

Kouji shrugged, being preoccupied on not burning his tongue with the hot liquid.

"Walking around."

* * *

"Come again soon!"

Giving a brief smile, Ruki took the plastic bag and walked out of the store. Juri had been gone for almost two weeks now and, seeing that the brunette hasn't given any of her friends a call yet, assumed that they're having a good time.

'_Makes me want to go on a vacation now too…_' With her right hand occupied in carrying both the plastic and her book bag, Ruki lifted her left palm to examine it. It was starting to hurt again, with reasons beyond the girl's knowledge, much like it has been for the past week. At first she thought that it was just sore; but as time went by, she's beginning to feel it go numb more often, like countless needles picking through it but never seeming to go away.

'_Now, it doesn't even feel like needles anymore…_' she thought, trying to flex out the irritating feeling off her hand, '_it feels… like something really hot just passed by and I touched it._'

'_Maybe I should ask Jenrya when I get the chance; he's good at these things._'

Feeling a sudden drop of water make contact with her skin, Ruki snapped out of her gaze to look up. The sky had darkened considerably as more and more droplets make their way towards the ground.

"Weird," she mumbled, clutching her school blazer closer as she increased her pace.

'_It was supposed to be sunny today._'

Unbeknownst to Ruki, a figure, shadowed by the darkness of nearby buildings, smirked at her direction. Sharp fangs flashed as gold eyes remained unmoving from their target.

Letting out a small chuckle, the figure moved further into the alley, intending not to lose sight if their prey.

"Little girls… aren't supposed to walk around alone in this gloomy weather."

* * *

She hadn't noticed her predicament until all Ruki could hear were her footsteps and the occasional drop of water hitting the pavement. Slightly peeved, Ruki decided to stop from her brisk walk to look around, only to find what she guessed was correct.

Makino Ruki stood all alone on the once busy street that had occupied numerous people just minutes ago.

"I think… I've finally lost it."

Shaking her head, Ruki began to turn around to continue her way home, only to find a tall figure standing right in front.

Letting out a soft grunt, she instinctively took a step back while keeping a wary eye on the man. He was almost a full head taller, she noted, tilting her head to get a better look at the stranger's face. Unfortunately, his hood did a very good job on hiding the guy's face that Ruki couldn't identify who he was.

With furrowed eyebrows, the girl let out a soft sigh before muttering an "excuse me," as she walked past the guy.

'_What a weird d—_'

"Makino."

Ruki immediately paused at mid-step, purple orbs widening as she felt the figure turn around and start their trek towards her. Snapping back into reality, Ruki immediately whipped around and threw him the scariest glare she could muster.

"Who are you?"

The figure laughed. "I would tell you," he paused to raise his head, and it was then that Ruki saw the most haunting eyes she has ever seen.

'_His eyes… why are they… gold?_'

"But then I'd have to kill you."

Like a broken slideshow, images suddenly flashed across Ruki's eyes, dancing and spinning as if trapped in a never-ending cycle. Figures—_shadows_—a bracelet, a sword, and _blood everywhere_—

—and there was always those eyes; those _gold eyes_.

"Stop it!" she screamed, wrenching her arm away from the stranger's hold. She just realized then that he had took hold of her left arm while she was in the middle of dreaming about things she didn't know about.

"Who the _hell_ are you and what do you want?"

"Easy!" Ruki blinked at his immediate response, and watched him take his hood off to reveal what was hiding beneath.

Dark green, shoulder-length tresses came into view. A young, pale face, much like her own, adorned with a cheerful smile greeted Ruki.

"Your life."

She immediately tensed, feeling her right hand (bag and all) automatically come up in defence as the assailant sprung towards its target. In a split second, the image of the boy disappeared from her view, making Ruki blink in confusion. For a moment, her muscles unconsciously loosened from its tense position—

—and it was at that moment that the girl felt a breath down her neck.

"You should learn not to fight your way out of trouble," he chuckled, "it may not do you good."

Ruki commanded her body to move but her attacker was faster; sensing the planned movement, he immediately grabbed both wrists and raised them away from each other. Her struggling attempts turned futile as his grip tightened at each try.

The sound of glass hitting the pavement filled the lonely street for a second, as Ruki's purchase slipped from her struggling hand.

"Why," she grunted, turning her head around as much as she can to get a better look at the boy, "are you doing this?"

From the corner of her eye, Ruki saw the stranger's smirk widen. "You'll see. But," he tightened his grip more, and laughed when Ruki's cry reached his ears, "you'll have to survive first."

Ruki's eyes widened as a sharp, burning sensation shot through her left arm. Another one followed, and another, until she couldn't feel anything but the fatigue from crying and struggling at the same time. Out of the corner of her eye, Ruki saw her left arm go limp from the slow torture; her wrist, circled with dried blood and the start of dark bruises.

_Ask for help._

Her finger twitched, '_Who…?_'

_Ask for help._

'_I…_'

_You can't die..._

"Hmm, I think I've done enough damage with your left arm, don't you think so?" he tilted his head in thought, "But then one could never be too sure…"

'_Who are you…?_' she felt a sticky liquid slowly running down her hand.

_Someone will come._

'_But—_'

"…especially knowing the fact how much trouble it will cause me in the near future," the boy said, almost to himself.

_Don't die._

'…_Someone…_'

"Pathetic," she tensed, his voice lowered, "to think… that you're expected to end everything."

'_Someone…!_'

_**You're not allowed to die.**_

Gold eyes flashed and he spoke, with more venom in his voice than he intended, "...weak."

Ruki's eyes squeezed shut as the feeling of helplessness engulfed her entire being. '_Help!_'

A sudden large gust of wind sliced through the silent street. She felt loose strands of her hair tickling her cheek and, unconsciously, relaxed. For a moment, Ruki felt a familiar presence, one she couldn't place who or what. It gave the girl a sense of security, no matter how small it may be.

She felt the person behind her stiffen, before releasing a defeated sigh. The wind that interrupted them has passed and the street, returning to its previous, still state. It took a while before Ruki realized that the death-like grip that he had on her had loosened, and that he had taken a small step away, finally breaking the contact their bodies made with each other.

"Pity…" he whispered, and Ruki swore she caught a hint of disappointment in his voice, "I would've liked to play with you longer."

With head bowed, Ruki didn't say anything—and he continued their one-sided conversation.

"But it seems like your strong desire for help didn't reach deaf ears after all."

Finally registering the fast footsteps heading towards them, Ruki's eyes snapped open. Slowly, she raised her head, only to see the body of a boy with his left hand outstretched towards them. To Ruki's surprise, the hand went completely past her head and latched itself on the forehead of the person behind her.

It was only then that the girl had a good look of the person right in front of her. His green hat concealed most of his face, but Ruki still saw chin-length, dark blue tresses and the gradually growing smirk on his lips.

The new arrival raised his head, revealing eyes only a shade darker than his hair.

"Found you."

Ruki heard laughter from behind, before feeling both her arms falling to her sides as the golden-eyed boy disappeared.

"Ah, he's gone…" Kouichi muttered, not bothering to hide the surprise in his tone. "Oh well, at least you're safe now, right?"

Finally turning to the person he just saved, Kouichi's eyes immediately softened at the sight of the girl. Her eyes, as bright as they seem, was whirling with confusion, shock, and most of all, fear. She was still gasping for breath, and, as his gaze fell down to her clenched fists, realized her barely shaking form.

As his eyes rested on her bruised wrist, Kouichi tensed and immediately lifted it up.

"Don't do that!" Hearing the outburst, Ruki's eyes snapped back to the boy, before shifting her gaze towards her hand (which he was now holding). "You mustn't do that!"

Ignoring the boy, Ruki focused her eyes on her wrist, only to realize that most of her bruises were gone. Instead, all that was left were barely visible marks, and the blood that had gone completely dry.

'_What the h—_'

"Don't do that again! It will only tire you, especially at your state," she looked back up at him, only to find him crouching down to retrieve her bag while still keeping a hold of her left hand. "There's a store just down the street right? I'll get you something to wrap that up with."

Feeling a gentle tug forward, Ruki immediately came back to her senses and planted her feet on the ground. She saw the boy turn around to look at her curiously, before tugging her forward again. Irritated, she yanked her arm off his hold and glared at him.

"Wai—"she paused, noticing the sudden influx of people that weren't there before. Taking a quick glance at her surroundings, Ruki noted that the street returned to its normal state, as if it wasn't empty at all…

Ruki opened her mouth to say something, but nothing seems to be coming out. She tried to form coherent thoughts, but was soon interrupted by a cough. With narrowed eyes, Ruki turned back to face the stranger, and was taken back to find him staring at her. His dark eyes calmed her, even for a bit, and made her abandon the idea of running home and forgetting about the day.

The sense of familiarity that she felt moments ago came back and, for a reason she couldn't explain, Ruki felt like she _needed_ to trust this person.

"I… Can you just…" Letting out a sigh, Ruki slumped her shoulders in defeat, "What… happened?"

It took a while, but Kouichi let out a smile before turning around. "Let's just get you treated first."

Without another word, he started to walk away. He didn't need to turn back around to confirm that she was following, because he knew she was; he knew that, with the way she looked at him earlier, she wanted answers. And, right now, he was the only one that could possibly heed her request.

Unconsciously gripping her bag tighter, Kouichi reached into his pocket to get his phone. He fiddled with it for a while, before pocketing the device once again.

'_I'll tell them later…_'


	3. Chapter 3

This has been sitting on my folder, 70% done, ever since I finished Chapter 2. Ah, I'm terrible. Oh well, might as well post it now!

And hey, it ended up way longer than expected, considering I finished it up in under 3 hours (including random breaks and endless distractions).

Disclaimer: I own nothing. The little bit about Tsukuyomi and Amaterasu was based on previous knowledge.

Note: I think I forgot to mention this, but the setting of this whole story is under the assumption that the Digimons have been gone for a while. So, years into the future, when the kiddies are probably around 16.

/

* * *

The automated doors closed behind Kouichi as he looked around for his companion. Finally spotting the unmistakable auburn-hued hair, he gingerly crossed the street before sitting down beside her.

"I don't think your injuries are that bad anymore," he started, "but I bought an ointment and some bandages to wrap it up with."

He didn't get any response.

"I also got some pain killers, just in case, though I think it'd be better for you to eat first."

Still no response.

"There's a lot of food stalls nearby… even a restaurant or two. What do you feel like eating?"

Kouichi leaned back. "It's been a long day…" he said, almost to himself, as his eyes traveled upwards. "And it's a bit chilly. _Sukiyaki_ would taste really good right about now."

"Are you going to tell me anything or not?"

Tilting his head sideways, Kouichi regarded the girl beside him. With her chin rested on her right palm, she looked at the street before them uninterestedly. She never really said anything else after agreeing to come with him, so he never brought it up.

"Tell you about what?"

Letting out an annoyed sigh, Ruki straightened her posture to glare at the guy. "What do you mean 'about what'?"

"Well," he paused in thought, "that guy you met first is pretty much evil…"

Her glare hardened.

"And he's pretty strong too."

"Yeah, I figured that much."

"So…" he trailed off, before grinning back at her, "We're lucky he left so quickly."

"_That's it!_" she snapped, the intensity of her glare never faltering for a second, "If you're not going to tell me _anything_ then stop beating around the bush and just say so! You're just wasting my time here and, frankly, pissing me off. If all you're going to do is give me stupid answers then I shouldn't have come with you in the first place and—"

"Then tell me," Kouichi interrupted, "Why _did_ you follow me?"

He watched Ruki's eyes dim, her anger melting away as something akin to realization flashed across her purple orbs.

"For all you know, I could be just like that guy that attacked you." His gaze shifted to the roll of bandages in his hand as Kouichi began to unwrap it.

"Maybe the reason why I saved you back there is to have you for myself," Ruki unconsciously bit her lower lip at that. "You know, gain your trust and all that crap before finishing you off or something."

"Heck, I could be planning your demise right this minute. Your hand, please," not bothering to wait for a reply, he took her injured hand to his own and started rubbing the scratches with cream. "It smells pretty bad but it doesn't hurt much and it works."

Ruki ignored the unfamiliar scent.

"Anyway, you just never know. And," he paused to reach for the bindings that lay idly on his lap, "didn't your parents ever teach you not to follow strangers or something?"

A couple of minutes passed before Kouichi gently patted her hand to indicate he was done.

"What I'm trying to say is…" Ruki looked up from inspecting her wrist to see dark blue eyes seemingly scrutinizing her every move. "Why did you come?"

At that moment, Ruki remembered the tall boy with gold eyes, the empty street, and the distant voice that kept telling her to ask for help. The same voice that dominated her entire being, as fear and anxiety slowly crawled in, taking her bit by bit.

It was the same voice that wouldn't let Ruki die.

"I don't know," she found herself whispering, eyes hazy from the memory of this day's events, "but… I was hoping you'd tell me."

One by one, the street lamps went on as dusk settled in. A car honk was heard from the distance, almost obscured by the constant chatters and inaudible noises from people that slowly filled the busy streets. To and fro, figures went by and disappeared, mingling with the crowd and basking in the city's night life. In the midst of this, two strangers sat side by side, caught in a strange web neither of them will ever be able to escape in.

* * *

Grunting in annoyance, Ruki sidestepped around a group of people before continuing her walk home. The night sky had settled in some time ago, with a half-full moon shining brightly among the other less-visible stars. Stirring into the more residential part of town, Ruki's brisk walk slowed down as thoughts about the event prior filled her head once more.

The image of the blue-haired boy with the green hat flashed and Ruki's almost-neutral mood erupted again.

'_Honestly, what kind of crack is that guy into?_' she sighed in annoyance, backtracking a few steps after realizing she missed a turn.

'_Like anyone would believe such a stupid story…_' Ruki mused, almost just to convince herself not to believe such nonsense.

He first started telling her a story—a myth—about the legend of _Amaterasu_ and _Tsukuyomi_. It was nothing Ruki hadn't heard of before, having studied the basic legend in school, but before she could voice out her knowledge on the matter, Kouichi changed his story to another myth. It was the same, but completely different at the same time…

"_There's a saying that, once in a few decades or so, two priestesses are chosen to revive the power that the once great god and goddess of the moon and the sun possessed. In a way, you could say that the two are the reincarnated versions of Tsukuyomi and Amaterasu. Along with a few pre-determined guardians for support, they are given the task of keeping everything in line and balanced, much like what the gods did way back when."_

"_And I'm supposed to be interested in this because…?" Kouichi raised an eyebrow at her, and Ruki returned it with a glare. _

_He answered with another question. "You've heard of yin and yang, haven't you? The whole concept about opposites and balance in nature?"_

"_And again, your point being?"_

"_Well," he paused, glancing up at the starless sky, "Sun and moon, light and darkness- you could see how Amaterasu and Tsukuyomi are kind of related to that. Although being born from the same deity, they resemble the typical opposites."_

'_One was out of the left eye and the other, from the right,' she mused, letting her eyes drift away momentarily._

"_But they're both needed; one can't function without the other but, at the same time, they can never be together. Under normal circumstances, you can't really see the sun and the moon at the same time, right? They just balance each other that way, and it applies to the chosen priestesses as well. Without one, the other will just fall. The link between the two is something that's even thicker than blood, and can surpass the passage of time."_

_Realizing that her time was very well wasted with the boy, Ruki let out a defeated sigh before deciding to humour him. "So, who are they? The priestesses, I mean. Are they supposed to be twins or something?"_

_Kouichi spared a quick glance at the girl before answering, "No. In fact, they're almost never related blood-wise, nor were they ever enemies. They usually have some kind of connection though; whether it'd be friendship or just acquaintanceship, the chosen pair was always linked together in some sort."_

"_Then that's not possible." _

_He tilted his head and, seeing the frown that was evidently forming, waited for Ruki to continue. He saw her take a breath, in and out; saw her furrowed eyebrows and clenched fist; saw her intensified gaze staring something, somewhere, straight ahead and away from them._

"_A bond that strong and powerful isn't something that can just be formed in a snap. It develops with experience and, most importantly, time. You can't just meet a person and trust them immediately, just by knowing that you share some kind of destiny with them. True companionship just doesn't work that way—it'd be false otherwise. And there's no way that can be forced, taught, or learned either—"_

"_Then what if it's just supposed to be that way? What if…" Kouichi hesitated, sighed, and finished in a whisper, "What if it's your job to follow whatever's in store for you because that's just how it's done…?"_

_He immediately felt the intensity of her gaze, but he continued._

"_All the chosen, the priestesses and their protectors, were often too young and should've known better but didn't. Without anyone to relate to, without family or friends to turn to, they rely on themselves for basically everything. Kids who were all alone in more ways than one with the faith of the world resting on their shoulders…" Ruki's gaze faltered at that, "Wouldn't trusting each other be easier than anything else?"_

"_After all," he whispered, turning so that their gazes met head on for the first time since the topic started, "they were thrown into this mess without any prior knowledge. Doesn't that count to some level already?"_

_Ruki suddenly felt like he wasn't talking about nonexistent people anymore._

_It took minutes before the girl stood up, gave the stranger beside her the fiercest glare she could muster, and stalked off. She could deal with having a random freak appearing out of nowhere and basically jumping her, but having a total nutcase, even worse than the previous one, insinuate what she thought—_

Ruki had a limit, and she was pushed passed it by a mile.

And it didn't help that she just realized that said nutcase was right behind her.

"Why the hell are you following me?" she screamed, turning around to see surprised navy eyes blinking confusedly at her direction.

Kouichi hesitated before gingerly lifting up a plastic bag. "You left this."

He watched as Ruki blink owlishly at his direction before hastily taking her purchases and peering inside. "I also bought a bottle of soy sauce to replace the one that was destroyed earlier…" Kouichi trailed off, peering at the girl in front of him. "You don't have a particular favourite brand do you? 'Coz I just picked the first one I saw so—"

"Why?"

Kouichi stopped and, seeing her full attention directed to him, took his time to really study the girl. It didn't take much effort on his part to notice her ire, and if the situation was something else, he would have been ashamed at his behaviour for getting someone so riled up in such a short amount of time (on the other hand, he was almost positive that his twin would be proud of such an accomplishment).

Without intending to, Kouichi's gaze softened in remembering their predicament. Eyes still locked with bright, purple orbs, he quickly arranged his thoughts together before opening his mouth.

"Sorry. I'll… I'll leave you alone," he mumbled, taking a quick glance at his surroundings when an idea struck. "But I'm not from around here ("obviously," Ruki snorted) so can I borrow your phone? Mine's out and I need to call my friend to meet up with me."

It took twenty-seven seconds before Ruki sighed in resignation, thrust her hand in her pocket, and throw the device at his direction. Her only consolation was that she would be rid of him (or so help her-!) and she could finally go home in peace to think about the odd day. Her mind was already starting to work on overdrive, analyzing and drawing up various theories about her experience, when a shrill ring broke the silence.

Snapping her attention back to the boy, Ruki watched incredulously as he pulled out a cellphone from his pocket while handing hers back.

"You—you—!"

Seeing that he doesn't have much time before Ruki snaps and potentially bite his head off, Kouichi shot her a sheepish smile. "I also entered my number there so call me when something comes up!" When he noticed her tense in preparation, he concluded his time was up.

Turning around, Kouichi wasted no time before sprinting back into the darkness, all the while chuckling when a frustrated shout reached his ears.

* * *

Izumi was jolted out of her thoughts when Kouji suddenly stood up from the bench they were occupying and turned to his left. The blonde stared at her companion's back for a few seconds before turning her head as well. They stayed there, staring at the darkness, tense and waiting, before a familiar figure came into view.

"Kouichi-kun!" she called out, running up to meet the teen. "Where have you been? You've been gone the whole day!"

Kouichi merely waved off her inquiry with grin before noticing his brother's quiet but suspicious demeanor.

"So," Kouji drawled, "Anything interesting happened to you today?"

Knowing his twin already drew up his own conclusion, Kouichi shrugged and replied, "Nothing much."

"How do you like Shinjuku so far?"

Kouichi suddenly remembered a pair of bright purple eyes and a glare that could probably kill a behemoth, and his grin widened. "It's interesting."

Looking back and forth between the two, Izumi concluded that they were communicating in that weird way (_again_) that no one really understood but them. '_Probably some twin telepathy thing,_' she mused before making her presence known again.

"Well, it's late and we still need to find a hotel to stay at. Speaking of…" she paused and peered at the older twin, "Have you eaten already?"

"No," sensing the indignation from the girl, he hastily added, "Sorry, I was preoccupied. Don't worry; I'll get something as soon as we get to the hotel."

"Well let's go then!" Izumi quickly tuned and started walking out of the park, "Seriously, you need to take better care of yourself Kouichi-kun!"

As Izumi stalked off, Kouichi glanced at his brother who merely shrugged and followed their friend. He eyed the two for a minute before walking off as well, absentmindedly fingering his cellphone as his thoughts strayed back to a girl whose destiny is very much tangled up with theirs.


End file.
